Telling the Tales of Trees Around the World

Credit Diane Cook/Len Jenshel

Telling the Tales of Trees Around the World

By Rena SilvermanOct. 2, 2017Oct. 2, 2017

Trees can live without us, but we cannot live without trees.

With a history dating back to the dinosaurs, trees are the planet’s documentarians, watching us cycle through life while providing oxygen, shade and shelter. Trees, the oldest of which, according to Peter Wohlleben’s “The Hidden Life of Trees,” has 9,500 years, are a critical part of the human experience. We rely on them, from their deep roots to fluttering leaves.

But — at least when we’re not cutting them down — how do we influence trees? Diane Cook and Len Jenshel present some answers in their new book, “Wise Trees,” which will be published by Abrams in October. Traveling to more than 70 locations, they found trees that represent “landscapes of complexity where nature and humanity converge.” In other words, trees with stories, like the young sycamore that witnessed the Civil War, or the elm that survived the Oklahoma City bombing. These photos show how events have shaped trees, their energy, and sometimes, literally, the shape of their limbs.

“Forty-million trees are being lost every day,” said Mr. Jenshel. “We love the environment and wanted to do something that would make people think differently about trees.”

Though Mr. Jenshel and Ms. Cook — who are married, collaborate on all their projects and frequently finish each other’s sentences — have a long history of photographing trees, a much more personal seed for their project was planted in the spring of 2012. They were in Japan documenting a nighttime cherry tree ritual when Ms. Cook learned that her father was dying. Struggling to process the information, she found herself watching the fragile petals of the cherry blossoms slowly drift to the ground, one by one.

“We did what the Japanese have been doing for centuries,” said Ms. Cook. “To take in that beauty, appreciate its ephemeral nature, and know that life does go on.”

Her father died soon after, but a new project was born, influenced by the cherry blossoms and a National Geographic magazine commission. “Taking that strength from the trees, we had this idea of looking at wise trees around the world,” said Ms. Cook. “And the importance trees have had throughout history in so many cultures.”

After the Sept. 11 attacks, search and rescue workers were looking for human remains among the rubble, when they found part of a Callery pear tree, which traditionally is the first tree to bloom in spring and the last to change leaves in autumn. Though its trunk was scorched and many branches missing, the tree had survived the attacks. Now a symbol of strength and survival, the pear tree was nursed back to health at a Bronx nursery and, nearly a decade later, replanted at the World Trade Center memorial.

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“The Hanging Tree” in Goliad, Tex.Credit Diane Cook/Len Jenshel

Other trees have been a part of unspeakable cruelties. From 1846 to 1870, in Goliad, Tex., an oak known as “The Hanging Tree,” provided shade for court sessions and branches for lynching.

“It’s not always a happy story,” said Ms. Cook.

One of the rain or monkeypod trees in Cambodia (imported from South or Central America), was isolated from the others as “The Killing Tree.” In 1975 when Pol Pot’s murderous rule started, the tree was used to bash children’s heads while their mothers were forced to watch.

“It took us days to recover from that experience of photographing that tree,” said Ms. Cook. “That left the deepest scar on us.”

Other trees seem to travel, and quite far. It is not clear how the adansonia gregorii (or boab) tree got to Western Australia. Perhaps it was the result of seeds dropped from the fruits by early migrants. It was a good thing, though, for the local aboriginals who used the tree as a spiritual home and lifeline, since it can hold up to 26 gallons of water.

In India, from the ancient tree deities to current bodhis of enlightenment, most trees are seen as sacred. In a Varanasi sweet shop, they found a neem tree, said to cure all ailments. Long after they shot the photo, Ms. Cook noticed her spouse’s anxiety.

“Len kept saying, ‘I don’t think we got the picture. I need to go back to that tree,’” Ms. Cook recalled. “I totally knew it was about the sweets.”